If You See Frost Pulling Your Garden Soil Up Like Hair, It’s a Warning Sign for Your Plants — Here’s How to Prevent It

If you step into your garden on a frosty morning and notice the soil looking lifted, cracked, or pulled upward in thin little ridges — almost like messy hair — it’s easy to shrug it off as “just winter doing its thing.”

But that strange look isn’t harmless.

I used to ignore it too. The plants were dormant, nothing looked broken, and winter always leaves things a bit rough. Then spring came… and plants that should have bounced back simply didn’t. The roots hadn’t died overnight. They’d been slowly tugged upward by freezing and thawing soil, bit by bit, until they were exposed and damaged long before any leaves showed signs of trouble.

That’s what makes this so sneaky. There’s no sudden collapse, no obvious pest, no warning label. Just soil that looks slightly disturbed — and roots quietly losing their protection underneath.

When frost grips moist soil, it can literally lift plants out of the ground over time. Once roots are exposed to cold air and drying winds, even tough, cold-hardy plants can struggle.

The good news? If you spot this early, it’s something you can prevent — and often fix — before winter does real damage. Knowing what to look for, and what to do next, can make all the difference when spring finally arrives.

What Is Frost Heave?

If you’ve ever walked outside in winter and noticed the soil looking cracked, lifted, or pulled upward like strands of hair, you’re likely seeing frost heave. It’s a physical process that happens below the surface when cold temperatures and moisture work together to move the ground upward.

Frost heave doesn’t happen just because it’s cold. As freezing temperatures sink into the soil, they create a freezing zone beneath the surface. Water already in the soil begins to freeze, but at the same time, liquid water from deeper, unfrozen layers is drawn upward toward that colder area. This movement of water through tiny soil spaces happens naturally as temperatures change.

As that rising water freezes, it forms layers of ice that continue to grow as more moisture is pulled upward and frozen in place. When water turns to ice, it expands, and underground that expansion creates strong pressure inside the soil.

That pressure pushes in two directions. Downward, it compacts the soil. Upward, it lifts the soil surface. This upward movement is what scientists call frost heave, and it’s why the ground can crack, shift, and rise during repeated freeze–thaw cycles.

In simple terms, frost heave happens because water moves toward freezing soil, freezes into expanding ice layers, and generates enough force to push the ground upward.

Why Frost Heaving Is Bad News for Your Garden

This is where frost heaving really comes back to bite you — often long after winter feels like it’s over.

Plants Can Be Lifted Right Out of the Ground

If you’ve ever gone out in early spring and found a plant sitting higher than it should, or wobbling when you touch it, frost heave is usually the reason.

Shallow-rooted plants, newly planted perennials, bulbs, and anything you planted in fall are especially at risk. As the soil lifts, it can pull at roots, sometimes tearing fine feeder roots or bending larger ones out of place. In some cases, roots are pushed right up to the surface.

Once that happens, those roots lose the protection soil normally gives them. They’re suddenly exposed to freezing air and drying winter winds — even on days that don’t feel especially cold. The plant may still look fine for a while, which is why the damage is so easy to miss.

That’s also why many plants that seem to “mysteriously” die in spring were actually damaged weeks or even months earlier by frost heaving.

Lawns Can End Up Uneven

If your lawn looks lumpy or uneven after winter, you’re not imagining it. Frost heave can shift whole sections of turf as the ground rises and settles over and over again.

Those repeated movements weaken grass roots and loosen their grip on the soil. When spring arrives, some areas bounce back, while others thin out or turn into bare patches that weren’t there before.

Hardscaping Can Shift

Frost heave doesn’t stop at plants. If you’ve ever noticed pavers, stepping stones, or stone edging that suddenly feel crooked or out of level, the soil underneath has likely been moving all winter.

The same force that lifts garden soil can push up hard surfaces too. That’s why frost heave is such a big concern in construction and road maintenance — and why garden paths and borders often need resetting after winter.

What to Do When Frost Heaving Pushes Your Plants Out of the Ground

When frost heaving pushes plants up, the worst thing you can do is yank them back into place. The plant didn’t move — the soil did — and pulling almost always snaps the fine roots that keep it alive.

If the ground is frozen solid, leave it alone. As soon as it softens, gently firm the soil back around the base with your hands. You’re not packing it down, just closing the air gaps that let cold and wind dry the roots out.

Any exposed roots need covering right away. A little loose soil or finished compost makes a real difference by buffering temperature swings. After that, a light, airy mulch helps slow the constant freezing and thawing that causes the problem in the first place.

Snow can help too, and it’s often overlooked. If you have snow nearby, lightly pulling it back over exposed soil acts as natural insulation. Snow traps air and keeps soil temperatures more stable than bare ground exposed to wind and clear winter nights. In cold regions, soils under snow consistently freeze less deeply than uncovered soil.

Resist the urge to prune or tidy things up. Those dead-looking stems are often protecting the crown from wind and dehydration until spring growth starts.

Once winter passes, take frost heaving as a message from your soil. It usually points to compaction, poor drainage, or beds that went into winter bare. Improving soil structure and mulching earlier next fall will do far more to prevent it than anything you can fix in the middle of winter.

How to prevent frosting heaving in the garden

Now that you know how to rescue plants that have already been pushed up, the real win is stopping frost heaving before it starts.

Build soil that doesn’t move in winter: Soil that stays wet in winter is far more likely to heave because water expands as it freezes. Working compost into the soil in fall improves drainage and soil structure, though how much you need depends on whether your garden leans sandy or heavy with clay.

Give roots time to grab on: Perennials planted too close to winter simply don’t have enough time to anchor themselves. When freeze–thaw cycles begin, those loose root systems are the first to lift. Planting several weeks before the first hard frost allows roots to knit into the surrounding soil and resist being pushed upward.

Cover bare ground before cold sets in: Bare soil heats up during sunny winter days and refreezes hard at night, which is a perfect recipe for frost heave. A consistent mulch layer applied after the first hard frost keeps soil temperatures from seesawing and limits the expansion that lifts plants out of the ground.

Use mulch as a stabilizer, not a blanket: Lightweight organic mulch does more than insulate. It gently holds the soil surface in place while still allowing air and moisture to move through. Shredded leaves or compost work especially well because they don’t compact or trap water around the crown.

Let plants help protect themselves: Standing stems and old growth catch snow and shade the soil. That natural cover slows freezing and thawing far better than bare, cleaned-up beds. Waiting until spring to cut back perennials often reduces winter soil movement without any extra effort.

Watch for trouble during temperature swings
The most damage happens after warm spells followed by sudden freezes. A quick check during winter thaws lets you catch early lifting before roots dry out or suffer cold injury.